Another Wednesday Exeter engine failure!!!
 

This morning Cessna 152 G-BMFZ, operated by Exeter Flying Club and leased from the Cornwall Flying Club, made a forced landing due to engine failure. The aircraft landed on a rugby ground at Priory School in Exeter. No injuries are reported and the aircraft has remained upright on all three wheels. It's another Wednesday!

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It's hard to soar with the Eagles when you work with Turkeys!

Fly Celtic West!

According to a radio conversation between the tower and the airport fire engine which attended the incident, following repairs to the engine 'FZ should be flown out of the playing field and back to the airport this afternoon.

Who does Celtic West's maintenance? Same outfit?

Yes, 'er indoors just listened to the news and they said it'll be flown out this pm. There were 2 POB from EFC (i don't think one was an instructor). Looks like they did a perfect forced landing. Top marks chaps!

...and yes, CW do use the same outfit. http://www.pprune.org/ubb/NonCGI/eek.gif


[This message has been edited by bcfc (edited 02 May 2001).]

A school field in Exeter?
Doesn't sound like a Rule 5 'alight clear in the event of' to me
Good effort, nevertheless

It was a very large area of football & rugby pitches adjacent to a school. Probably the only non-marshy open space around the area. After engine repairs the aircraft flew out this afternoon.

You're right though, matspart3. The school is pretty much in town and I'm not sure what they were doing over the city.

Still, they got the thing down in one piece and walked away.

[This message has been edited by bcfc (edited 03 May 2001).]

Who does the maintenance of these aircraft? Sounds like an engineering survey needed here!!

Not necessarily a maintenance issue - it would appear that the problem was one of carb icing. Applying the heat after the fan has stopped has a very limited effect, and even then only for a very short period of time. A lesson for us all perhaps - how long do you allow the carb heat to work during your FREDA checks?

Matspart3

Sounds as if they did alight clear. Res ipsa loqitur ;)
Well done chaps

Rattus.

Matspart3, bcfc

Time out guys, they suffered an engine failure and walked away with no casualties and no damage. Nuff said.

No offence intended...I genuinely take my hat off to anyone who walks away without bending the aeroplane. It shows good training and current practice..when did I last try a PFL???
The point I was trying to make is that surely a School must constitute a 'congested area' from the CAA Legal Department's point of view....admittedly, I don't know the area at all so this is purely conjecture but can you imagine the flak GA would be taking now if the Rugby team had been playing at the time or worse still, if they'd only made it as far as Class 5's Maths lesson when gravity triumphed!
In the same situation I would probably have picked the same field and I'm not suggesting that I religiously avoid everything made of bricks and mortar but I think many of us single engined pilots take the reliability of our engines for granted. There's a similar thread running somewhere about flying over SE London and in this day and age, when GA has few supporters as it is, if a school field was your only option then you'll need a good lawyer if you cock it up!

Hi all

Well I have to say that when the fan stopped I would imagine that the CAA Legal Department was the last thing on their mind.

In the same position I would have to say that self preservation would kick in, not just for me but also for the passenger. If it meant a visit to Gatwick then I would look on the ability of getting there as well worth the risk of upsetting our friends in Legal; the same friends, I might add, who feel that EFATO Training is in the main illegal !!

Hats off to the pilot, and I just hope I will never have to put my PFL training to use.

Exeter Flying Club have released a statement to the effect that there appears to be no common cause to the three forced landings that they have experienced over the last 12 months. They also emphasise that different maintenance organisations looked after the aircraft involved. Investigations continue in an attempt to confirm (or deny) the statement.

This latest problem is believed, within the Club, to have been caused by carb icing. They have emphasised to members the correct procedures to use to prevent carb icing from becoming a problem.